Concept in Definition ABC

The different films can be classified into genres and subgenres depending on the style, setting or theme chosen. Some of the best known are the western, the war, science fiction, the movie theater black, comedy or thriller. Among the multiple variants we find a gender very singular, the gore genre, also known as cinema splatter. As for the word gore, it comes from English and refers to the vision of blood and viscera (the verb to gore means precisely "to put a knife on").

Main characteristics of the genus Gore

Horror is the genuine element of these movies. However, it is not a psychological or subtle terror, but it is totally explicit. Thus, cruel mutilations, very bloody scenes, torture and brutal murders appear in these films. You could say that it is a violence excessive and gratuitous.

Normally the plot takes place in macabre and depraved environments. Violent images are sometimes combined with sex or other narrative genres (for example, manga, fantastic tale

or comedy). In any of its variants, for a film to be gore it must incorporate violence and blood.

Why does this type of cinema attract?

There is no single answer to this question. On the one hand, violence in any of its forms is an element that draws attention. Blood generates a double contradictory feeling: rejection and attraction. Gore cinema shows a reality that we are not used to and because of this reason arouses curiosity and curiosity among the spectators.

Difference from the horror genre

In horror movies, it is common for there to be a social order in which evil tries to triumph over good. On the other hand, the idea of ​​terror is not necessarily associated with violence, since the terrifying of the actions can have a psychological component or be based on the tension of the plot. On the other hand, in the gore genre, violence is bloody and without any kind of subtlety. It could be said that gore cinema is a subgenre of horror cinema.

The origin and some of the most significant titles

The historical antecedent of these films is found in the theater French Grand Guignol at the beginning of the 20th century, where works with terrifying and morbid content were performed. Until 1950 the horror genre was based on the classic canons of this genre. However, in 1963 the feature film Blood Feast by director Herschell Gordon Lewis was released. This film is considered the first of this category.

Among the most prominent titles of the genre, we can highlight the following: Martyrs (2008), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Cannibal Holocaust (1980) or the Friday the 13th saga.

Photos: Fotolia - Ratoca / Hakaba

Topics in Genre Gore